


Radioactive

by GallifreyanHeroine



Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Into Darkness - Freeform, Snark, Song fic, a bit of language
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2015-08-04
Packaged: 2018-04-12 22:18:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4496841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GallifreyanHeroine/pseuds/GallifreyanHeroine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Aureya travels through space with the most infamous crew, meeting their most infamous enemy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

I'm waking up to ash and dust…

It had all happened because of the destruction of Nero….

Knocking on the door, Aureya couldn't help but bounce impatiently. Every Friday night, she was asked to come to these stupid training missions. She had chosen Vulcan hand-to-hand, mainly for the opportunity to learn that nerve pinch thing she heard of. It didn't take long for the door to the training room to open, revealing Commander Spock. He had his usual stoic expression of non-emotion; his trademark eyebrow rose.

"Can I help you, Lieutenant?" He was dressed in slightly more casual clothes, though they still seemed rigid and uniform to her. She checked her PADD to double check, then moved to attention.

"I'm reporting for the Vulcan hand-to-hand, sir." She stayed that way as the Commander thought it over. If she didn't know any better, she could have thought he looked put off. He nodded and turned away, walking into the room. Taking that as her cue, she stepped in. No one else was there, but she had arrived early, so she just assumed more would come soon. Setting a bag in the corner, she began to stretch, unsure of what to expect. Vulcans practiced the idea of non-violence, but that didn't mean they'd never had to defend themselves. The Commander sat down, closing his eyes. Knowing better than to disturb a Vulcan during a meditation, Aureya simply closed her eyes and did some tai chi, in an effort to be sure she'd be prepared for anything.

"Lieutenant Aureya Simeon." His voice shook her from her concentration, and she straightened up quickly. "As it appears it will only be myself and you for this class, I am obligated to give you the option of joining a different class. Here is a schedule of what is still available." She took the PADD from him and looked it over carefully. There were only three other classes left and they all took place during her assigned times in engineering.

"I'm afraid, Commander, that I must stay in this program." She handed the PADD back, placing her hands behind her back. "I'm not available for any of these other times due to my duties down in engineering. I'm afraid I have to take this course or spend the next six months under qualified to serve aboard the Enterprise." He seemed to consider her for a moment before nodding.

"Very well, then. If you wish, we can begin today." She nodded and he stepped onto the sparring mat. "I'm afraid I will have to teach you manually. I will endeavor not to injure you." She stepped up.

"Very well sir. What's first?" Without warning, he grabbed for her arm. She pulled away at the last minute, looking at him. For the first time, she saw something other than his usual blank look: determination. She realized this was going to be one of her more exciting courses.


	2. Chapter Two

I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones, Enough to make my systems blow…

Three days later, and she was still feeling it. Despite her preparation for the spar with Commander Spock, every muscle ached. She mentally shrugged it off and started climbing into the Jeffries tubes. Reaching a plasma conduit, she pulled the cover off and started to work. She relaxed as she did it, enjoying the hum of the ship. The work passes quickly, and she flipped open her communicator.

"Aureya to Mr. Scott." She waited a total of five minutes before he responded.

"Scotty here. What do ya need?" His voice sounded tinny and she made a mental note to start work on upgrading the quality of the communicators.

"I've finished the plasma conduit on deck 7. You should be noticing an increase of power by…" she checked her readings on her scanner "…35%." She started to pack up, checking her PADD to see if she had anything else to fix.

"Well done. Ya can have the night off lassie, but I'll need ya early tomorra' mornin'." He cut the connection and headed straight for the mess hall with her tool kit, intending to work on the communicator. Rather than attempt to work her way backwards out of the tube, she followed it along until she reached the access door in the mess. The door was a bit stuck, and she had to kick it open, but she finally dropped in and brushed herself off, oblivious to the stares she was getting from the crew that were in the room. She was grateful for the solid black leggings that every female engineer was given as she adjusted her skirt and sat at a table near the window. She pulled the communicator out and some tools, and started working.

"Hello there." She didn't have to look up to catch the flirty tone in this guys voice. She chose to ignore it as she removed a section of wiring. "Mind if I join you?" She shrugged, trying to at least seem polite. She glanced up with a nod, not really registering who is was, only seeing the yellow shirt. He sat as she replaced all the wires, tucking the old ones in a pouch in her work kit. "So, what's your name?" She sighed, looking up as she replied.

"Aureya." She realized then; her new guest was in fact the captain, Kirk. She sat up straight, in her best approximation of at attention that she could manage staying in her chair. "Sir." He rolled his eyes.

"At ease, Lieutenant Aureya, I just wanted to socialize." She relaxed, slowly going back to her work. "So, does Scotty always have his people doing work during meals?" He smirked and she couldn't help but smile.

"No, I actually am not on duty. I just think these things could sound better." She pointed to the mess of metal and wires sitting in front of her. He nodded, looking it over himself.

"Well, may I at least get some food for us while we're sitting here?" He gave what she supposed was supposed to be a heart-melting smile, and she had to admit it was nice. Besides, she really was starving after her little trip through the tubes. She nodded and he left to the replicator on the other side of the room. She continued to work, finally locating what she believed was the problem and was nearly finished putting it together as Kirk came back. "Wow, you work fast." He set a ham sandwich and a bottle of water down in front of her, with something similar for him.

"The problem was honestly very simple. If Scotty signs off on this, I should be able to upgrade all the communicators onboard within" she did the math in her head "probably a week." He nodded, seeming impressed.

"If you'd like, I could talk to him." She noticed that while the tone in his voice was genuine, the flirty look hadn't left his face. She smirked and started to eat.

"I think I could convince Scotty." His constant looks were actually starting to make her uncomfortable and she glanced around the room. Two other gold shirts, the pilot and his navigator, had entered and she caught the navigator's eye. She tried to communicate that she needed some more company, and was relieved when he brought the pilot towards them. She went back to eating her food. Soon, she heard a soft Russian voice off to her left.

"Vould you mind if ve join you?" He looked at her and she nodded. They both sat on either side of her and she smiled politely.

"Lieutenant Aureya Simeon." She introduced herself, nodding towards both of them. Th pilot spoke up.

"I'm Lieutenant Hikaru Sulu and this is Ensign Pavel Chekov." He gestured to the navigator, who smiled again.

"A pleasure to meet you both." She replied. From the corner of her eye, she could tell that the captain was not happy at being interrupted. They all ate, with Chekov asking about the communicator work she was doing. She happily explained.

'Well, that could have been way worse…' She thought.


	3. Chapter Three

Welcome to the new age…

A few days later, Aureya had been given the job of not only finding a way to upgrade the communicators, but to see if there was a way to upgrade everything. She was currently headed to the medbay, using the hallways this time, in order to see what she could do about the medical tricorders and biobeds. Star Fleet had been notified so that they would end up on any away missions for a bit, but upgrades were going fast, as Scotty had given Aureya an entire engineering team to do the actual upgrading.

"I don't care that we have two others, I don't like the idea of any of my tools being unusable!" A very angry sounding southern accent drifted from the office as she entered. She rolled her eyes as she walked up to the first bed, and started to take it apart. Most of the upgrades so far had to do with the wiring, so she checked that first. As she suspected, a few wires seemed to be in the wrong places and she started to move them. She saw a pair of boots enter her line of vision off to her right, but she didn't bother to look up.

"Can I help you, sir?" She kept her voice neutral, as the doctor's temper was well known across the ship. She heard him grumble and couldn't help but smirk. As she worked, she continually had to push her black curls out of her brown eyes. She glanced up at him, noting that while he was older than her, he certainly didn't look like it. She looked back to her work. "Don't worry, I'll be done in a few minutes, and I'll have special orders filed that say only one bed can be worked on at a time. This is really just to help you." She finished rewiring and moved on to check the other components. She stood and pulled the cover off of the top. She did a little tinkering there, with the doctor hovering over her shoulder to see what she was doing. It took her less than five minutes to finish the top.

"Alright, that was quick enough." The doctor said as she noted what she had done in her instructions. "But how do I know you didn't actually make it worse?" He gave her a look that said he was sure it was ruined. She chuckled, hopping up and starting to push buttons.

"Every upgrade is tested thoroughly before they're cleared." As she started to attempt to scan herself, he brushed her hands away, doing it himself. "The controls all should be the same, but the bed should be faster and be able to detect more at once." She sat still as he scanned her.

"Well, you're perfectly healthy." He sounded like he didn't want to admit she was right. "Well, thank you, I suppose. Will it be that fast with all of them?" She could've sworn his accent got a bit thicker, and she held back a giggle.

"A team will be sent to upgrade everything. Speaking of…" She held out her hand, waiting for his medical tricorder. He hesitated, clearly not wanting to hand it over. Rolling her eyes, she slid off the bed and headed towards his office. He followed after her quickly, but she grabbed his tricorder before he could. She plopped herself down at his desk and promptly pulled it apart. In a few minutes, she'd had the tricorder finished, as it didn't need too much work. She handed it back. As he took it, she realized how pale he really was, especially compared to her own light brown skin. In the back of her mind, she wondered why he didn't seem to have a similar color to the captain, but chalked it up to the lack of away missions recently.

"Alright, it works." He said, pulling her from her thoughts. It took her a minute to realize he had scanned her. She stood, nodding to him. He nodded back and she took that as her permission to go. "Hey, wait." She paused at the door to his office. "What's your name Lieutenant?" She smirked.

"Aureya Simeon, sir." He nodded, holding out his hand.

"Leonard McCoy." They shook and she turned to go again. He went to walk her out, and as she got to the door, she faced him.

"You know Doctor McCoy, it seems you and Scotty have similar tastes in whiskey." His eyes widened and she grinned. "Maybe you guys should hang out more often." She pulled out her communicator. "Scotty, all done in the medbay, send the team up. Make sure they know to only work on one bed at a time." She smiled at McCoy, continuing. "We need to make sure two are always available for use."

"Go' it. You're finished for today, lass. And don't forget, you've got tomorra off." She nodded, and shut the communicator.

"If you've got tomorrow off, I'd like to speak with you for a bit. Say, maybe at lunch?" McCoy said nervously, scratching the back of his neck. This time, she knew she wasn't mistaken in thinking his accent was thicker. She smiled.

"Well, if you don't mind some other company as well, I have no problem with that." He actually looked relieved and she turned to go. "See ya tomorrow, Doc." She headed for her quarters to change into her work out clothes. It was Friday night again, and she was surprisingly looking forward to it. She'd almost made it when she was stopped by none other than the captain himself. "Captain Kirk." She acknowledged, continuing on her way. While she knew he was in charge, she also knew what sort of crap she'd get if she was late for her sparring lesson with Commander Spock. Kirk fell into step next to her.

"Good evening Lieutenant. Are you free tonight? I've got a sort of impromptu movie night going on with some of the bridge crew." He looked so hopeful, not even flirty, and she felt a bit bad.

"I'm sorry sir, but I have that mandatory defense class tonight and it would be very bad if I ditched out." He looked let down. "But, maybe another time. Just try to avoid Fridays." She joked, goading a smile from him. Kirk nodded.

"Alright, next time then." He left quickly, obviously to go set up the movie night. She changed into her work out clothes quickly and practically ran to the sparring room, entering at exactly eight o'clock. Commander Spock was meditating and she moved as quietly as she could, setting her stuff down into the corner and starting her stretches.

"Good of you to come, Lieutenant." His voice startled her, and she looked up to see him watching her. She blushed, standing up. "May I ask what delayed you?"

"Captain Kirk was attempting to get me to go to a movie night, and I had work to do in the medbay." She answered with straight honesty, no embellishments. He nodded, his eyebrow rising.

"I, too, was invited to the movie night. However, I believe I will find it a more logical use of my time to be here." He stood, and she braced herself, watching him carefully. "As usual, please feel free to stop if you become hurt." She nodded, and waited. It didn't take long before he struck out. And so went her night.


	4. Chapter Four

I raise my flags, dye my clothes…

Slamming to the mat, Aureya gasped as the wind was knocked from her. Spock looked down, one of his hands pinning her shoulder, and one in a loose fist above her head. Instinctively, she slid her leg against his thigh, pushing against it hard to unbalance him, throwing her weight up. She caught him by surprise, causing them to tumble. He tried to regain the upper hand, causing them to roll around the room almost comically. Every time he would start to get the upper hand, she would seem to almost slip out of his grasp. It finally ended with her pinning him to the mat, one hand on his shoulder and one on his throat. They both lay there, panting for a bit. He recovered faster, sitting up despite her weight, and setting her off to the side.

"I feel like you've been going easy on me." Aureya joked, reaching for her bottle of water. Spock looked confused, and seemed to be thinking over what she had said. "Commander, it's a joke. Don't worry about it." She stood and reached out a hand to help him. He looked at it warily, and, getting impatient, grabbed his forearm and hoisted him up.

"You've done well, Lieutenant." He said, getting his own bottle of water. Checking the clock, he began to pack up. "This session has been held for a sufficient amount of time. I will see you again on Friday, Miss Simeon." He turned to leave.

"Actually, sir, I will see you Monday morning." Aureya said. "My upgrades start up again on the bridge. So, until then," she did the traditional Vulcan salute, much to his surprise, "peace and long life." She didn't wait for a reply as she left, leaving a stunned yet amused Spock in her wake.

"Live long and prosper." He replied quietly.

Aureya practically bounced back to her room. Despite the fact that she knew he wasn't using full strength on her, she was still proud that she had gained the upper hand. She hadn't really been using too much technique, but instead had used her knowledge of the fact that Vulcans were extremely touch sensitive. It was her only viable plan should she ever have to fight one off. Vulcans were much stronger than humans, and she knew that catching them off guard would be her only way to win. She made it back to her quarters and collapsed onto her bed, falling asleep almost instantly.

The next morning, Aureya got up early, dressing in baggy shorts and a tank top and heading for the holodeck for a run. She had chosen to leave right before the shift change, so the hallways were empty and silent. She got onto the turbolift, commanding it to take her to deck three. It took only a few seconds, and in no time she was running through a forest in New England. She relaxed, enjoying herself as she breathed in the simulated fresh air. An hour later, she was in casual clothing enjoying breakfast in the mess. Chekov had joined her, and they were discussing what could be done with the upgrades to his station.

"Well, I can always see what I can do about your commands being accepted faster." She said, munching on toast. Sulu joined them, and she simply enjoyed their company as the two men joked around. She scanned the room, not really recognizing anyone. A few young engineers waved and she nodded back. The rest of her morning was uneventful, as she read a classic book in her quarters and listened to some oldies 21st century music.

Lunch, however was a bit more to look forward to. As she arrived, she saw Chekov and Sulu waving her over to a somewhat bigger table than she was used to. She got herself some food and sat across from them, picking up on some bridge gossip as they talked. They tried to get to tell what happened in engineering, but she simply smiled and said nothing really happened down there. They shrugged and went back to discussing Kirk's newest fling; apparently, it was a young ensign assigned to the science department. McCoy entered after a few minutes, scanning the room. She waved and point to a seat next to her, which he gladly took.

"What, no lunch for you, doctor?" She joked, gesturing to his lack of food. He simply shrugged.

"Nurse Chapel always insists on bringing me lunch in my office. She's convinced I won't eat unless she's watching." He snatched one of Aureya's fries. "Poor woman doesn't realize that food and I are lifelong pals." He smirked and she rolled her eyes, throwing another fry at him. Surprisingly, he caught it in his mouth, and ate it quickly.

"So, McCoy, you wanted to have lunch." She leveled a look at him. "Any particular reason why?" He took a moment.

"I just wanted you to know if your team was too disruptive. And they were, by the way." His voice had gotten gruff again, and she smirked.

"Did they now? Please, enlighten me." He opened his mouth to reply, but didn't get a chance as Kirk, Spock, and another young woman of color like herself all sat down at the table. Kirk had taken the seat on her other side and was flashing her a grin; Spock just gave a nod, which she returned; and the young woman put her hand out, introducing herself as Uhura. Kirk recaptured her attention quickly, leaving McCoy the opportunity to help himself to her fries.

"So, Aureya, when can I expect you up on the bridge to check out my equipment?" She caught the double meaning. He wagged his eyebrows and both Uhura and Spock seemed to just ignore it, obviously used to it.

"Captain, I'll be upgrading your 'equipment' on Monday. Something tells me yours will need the most work." She turned back to her food with a smirk as Sulu started choking on his water. McCoy and Uhura actually laughed, but Kirk played it off.

"As long as you're the one working on it." He said with a wink. She pulled out her PADD, a plan already forming.

"Actually, sir, I believe I'll be too busy with Mr. Chekov." At the mention of his name in this little game of innuendo, he blushed brightly. "However, I can assign one of the ensigns to work with you." Kirk actually looked excited and she stifled a giggle. Looking around the room, she noticed that several members of her upgrade crew had come in for lunch. She waved them over: a group of 3 guys and two girls. The girls seemed to be excited at the prospect of meeting the captain of the ship. She gestured to the tallest guy. "This is Ensign Alex Candor. He will be assigned to work on your chair." The ensign beamed proudly and she dismissed them. Kirk looked put off with the idea. "Don't worry, Captain." She said in a fake sweet voice. "He works just as well as I do, if not better. He'll make sure you're all taken care of." Now everybody was laughing and she finished her fries.

"We're not done here, Lieutenant." Kirk said quietly, more in a flirty voice than a threatening one. She rolled her eyes, finishing her water. "I'll see you bright and early on Monday." He got up to go, and Commander Spock followed him, giving her another nod. As soon as he was gone, everyone was congratulating her.

"Oh, come on, guys, there has to be at least one woman aboard who's had the guts to say no." Uhura nodded.

"Yeah. It was me, and it took him three years to get the hint." Uhura replied. Aureya groaned, but more in a playful way.

"As long as he doesn't court-martial me, I think it'll be okay." She joked. McCoy chuckled, reaching for her fries again. She smacked his hand playfully. "Get your own, doc." He grumbled, but got up. She finished and stood. "Sorry to duck out, everyone, but it's my day off and I intend to spend at least an hour of it napping. I'll see you all Monday." She left after a chorus of goodbyes and headed back to her quarters. 'Great, now I get to deal with the Captain everyday…' she thought. She couldn't help but smile at the idea of making the famous Captain Jim Kirk squirm.


	5. Chapter Five

It's a revolution, I suppose…

Monday came too soon for Aureya's liking, and she arrived at engineering bright and early to set up her team and gather her tools. She headed to the bridge, sipping a simulated coffee from the replicators. Despite not actually existing, it still had caffeine and gave her quite the kick in the rear. As she entered the bridge, she could see she wasn't the only one nursing a cup. Almost everyone had one, save Spock, who was currently pulling a tea bag out of his own. Aureya vaguely wondered why he didn't just use a replicator, but brushed the thought away. She moved to the Communications station first, giving a tired smile to Uhura, who returned the gesture.

"Well, shit…" Aureya muttered as she laid on the ground and opened up the console. It looked like someone had gotten lazy putting this wiring in, as it was a tangled mess of colors. She groaned, and started working, scanning and carefully pulling a few wires. After a few minutes, she could tell what needed fixing, but it was a whole different thing to do it. She would have to spend a decent amount of time untangling the wires.

"Hey, Aureya, vould you like some help?" She looked up to see Chekov looking down with a hopeful look in his eye. She nodded, and he laid next to her.

"Well, Pavel, it looks like we have a puzzle to fix. Take the blue one and weave it through until it's independent." Unknown to the two of them, they had quite the audience. While many looked in curiosity, only one gaze was focused on something else entirely. It was clear to anyone who looked that Kirk that he wished female engineers didn't wear the solid black leggings. Uhura glared at him, but he just gave a cheeky grin back. "Captain, if you're done looking at my legs, would you mind calling up Scotty and telling him I need a few extra hands up here?" Unseen by the crew, Aureya smirked at Chekov as he did his best to hold in a laugh. Kirk gaped for a bit, before nodding to his yeoman to handle it.

A few minutes later, she heard the turbolift doors open. Without moving or stopping her work, she called out orders. Once she finished with the two wires she'd been working on with Chekov, she gave detailed instructions to the engineers who'd come in and told Chekov he could go back to his seat. He complied and she moved on to the Science station. She and Spock gave their simple nod greeting before she set to work. There wasn't such a mess at this station, though she did have to lay down and crawl halfway in to reach anything. She could sense Spock crouching near her legs to watch what she did. Kirk had decided to focus on some reports, so that nothing would distract him when she came to his chair. After a few minutes, she had finished the science station.

"Commander Spock, your station should now be able to process through equations and simulations faster, the sensors should be reading farther, and it should be responding more accurately. Please confirm this." She spoke like he did, knowing that he felt more comfortable around humans who were direct and to the point. He did as she asked.

"Lieutenant Simeon, your calculations have been correct. However, it was slow to turn back on. Can you do something about this?" She nodded and reconfigured the power flow.

"That should fix it. Please, call Scotty if it remains a problem." They nodded to each other again and she moved on to the navigational and piloting console. Kirk vaguely wondered if she had a thing for his first officer. She smiled at Chekov and Sulu before pulling the hatch off of the console. At least for this one, she'd only have to kneel. She'd begun work when Uhura said there was an incoming message. Being directly in front of the view screen, Aureya made herself as small as possible. She finished quickly, nodding to Kirk that she was done for now. Her little team had done a fine job of repairing the communications console and had already left. Aureya stepped onto the turbolift just as Admiral Pike's face came onscreen.

A few hours later, it was told to them all that the Enterprise would be returning to Earth. She knew it wasn't for repairs, which made her worry. She headed to the science wing, determined to keep working and not think about the fact that Admiral Pike had recalled the Enterprise.

As she finished work in the science lab, she realized that with all the repairs, she hadn't eaten. Shrugging it off, she promised herself she'd have a feast for dinner once she was finished. Checking the time, she saw that it was already 9 PM; the mess hall would be empty, as the shift change had already started. She headed to the mess happily, knowing that she'd rather not have people around while she tampered with a phaser. After this, she only needed to upgrade the engines and the weapons, and the ship would most certainly be the fastest and most well-equipped in the quadrant. She smiled to herself in pride at the thought.

As she walked in, she was pleasantly surprised to see McCoy sitting at one of her usual window tables. Not wanting him to think she was a weirdo, she chose another one two down from him and set her stuff down. She went to grab some food, choosing a Vulcan fruit salad, a glass of water, a burger and some fries. She set her tray down and glanced at McCoy, who didn't have any food, but appeared to be preoccupied with the stars. She went back to the replicator, making more fries, which she went and put down in front of him. He didn't look up and so she went back to her seat, trying to juggle work with food.

She had gotten herself absorbed in the details of the phaser, and so was startled when the chair across from hers was suddenly occupied. She looked up to see McCoy with the order of fries. He nodded to her.

"Thanks Lieutenant." He said quietly, his voice rough. On closer inspection, she noticed that he didn't look good; red eyes, flushed face, glazed look. Her heart went out to him.

"Call me Aureya, McCoy." He seemed both taken aback and relieved, and started eating the fries. She watched him for only a moment before continuing her work. They sat in silence for almost a half hour, in which she worked and ate and he simply watched her work. She enjoyed his company and by the time she was finished, she knew why he looked so bad. Standing, she took his empty container and moved to recycle it. He grabbed her wrist lightly.

"Not McCoy." He said. She blinked, unsure of what he was telling her. "Leo or Leonard, but not McCoy." She realized what he was asking and nodded. He let go, and she recycled the dishes, coming back to put the completed phaser in her bag.

"Come on, Leo, let's get you to bed." She pulled his arm over her shoulder, and got him to his feet. He chuckled.

"And here I was thinking only Kirk could get pretty girls to his room." McCoy joked and she rolled her eyes. She lead him along the halls, going towards a turbolift. As she got in, she propped him against a wall.

"Leo, where do you live?" She asked quietly. She just knew he'd have an awful hangover in the morning, and she made a mental note to stop and see him on her rounds tomorrow. He had started to nod off, so she tapped his cheek lightly a few times, prodding him back to consciousness. "Come on, Leo, tell what deck and room."

"Deck 3, room 11." He mumbled before going back to sleep. She nodded and gave the command to the lift. When they reached the right deck, she lifted him again, and noticed he was getting progressively heavier. She worried that she wouldn't get him to his room at the end of the hall. Luckily, she made it, pressing the button to open the doors. She practically dragged him in and took a minute to find where the bedroom was. She threw him onto the bed and thought about leaving him. Thinking twice, knowing how dangerous drunks are to themselves, she pulled his boots off and her own, flipped him onto his side, and settled in on the couch. In no time, they were both asleep.


	6. Chapter Six

Whoa…

The next morning found Aureya with a stiff neck and a slightly confused expression as she took in where she was. Glancing around, she saw McCoy still passed out on his bed and realized where she was. She got up, stretching and moving to check and see how he was. He hadn't thrown up, so that was good, and he had stayed on his side, which was double good. She poked him once in the arm to see how out he was. Receiving only a grunt in reply, she decided he was safe enough while she showered and changed. She used his replicator to make herself another uniform, then stepped into the bathroom to shower.

While she was busy, McCoy woke up. He was grateful that the lights weren't on as the pounding in his head began. He looked around, wondering how he had managed to make it back to his room. He sat up, finally taking notice of the sound of the sonic shower running. He vaguely wondered if he left that on the night before. He got up and went to the replicator, stumbling as he did so, and made himself the strongest coffee they had on file. It came out hot and black, and as he drank it, it burned away both his taste buds and the hazy fog over his mind. He looked around again and spotted a pair of female uniform boots near his. Concerned, he tried to remember if he had brought back someone. He had the vague idea of someone helping him to his room, but the rest was gone. He didn't see her uniform, and he still had his on, so he guessed that was a good thing.

Aureya stepped out of the bathroom dressed in her red uniform and black leggings, yawning as she did. She pulled her hair into a bun and turned the corner to see a very confused McCoy standing near the replicator, coffee in hand. He gaped at her and she walked over, tapping his chin to close his mouth.

"Don't want flies getting in, Leo." She ordered her own coffee in a travel mug, moving to the couch to pull her boots on. She had been worried he would be angry she had stayed or embarrassed like some people did when someone had to take care of their drunk ass. Instead, he sat next to her with his coffee.

"Thanks, Aureya." He said quietly. His voice was still a little gruff, but he sounded better than last night. She looked at him to see a small smile on his face.

"Anytime." She smiled herself. "You should smile more often. You look more….handsome." She stood to go, grabbing her bag and leaving a clearly flustered McCoy behind. He stood up quickly, grabbing her arm gently to stop her from leaving.

"Miss Aureya, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you just complimented me." He smirked and she blushed lightly, grateful for her darker skin tone to hide it. She nodded.

"That I did. Is that a problem?" She felt a foreign flutter in her chest as she waited for his answer. She realized too late what it was as he answered.

"Well, I am your superior." He had meant it as a joke, but Aureya was too caught up in her newfound emotions to pick up on the subtle hint. He saw a flash of hurt in her eyes that was quickly replaced with cold indifference. He opened his mouth to explain, but she beat him to it.

"Of course, Lieutenant Commander." He almost flinched at the tone. "If you'll excuse me, I have to report for duty." Before he could stop her, she was gone. She hurried towards the lift, making herself focus on her tasks for the day. She had to test the new phaser and still get to work on the weapon's system. Yet, she couldn't help the blooming pain in her chest. What had she been thinking? Of course it was a problem; he was a commanding officer, and one who was older than her at that. She shoved the emotions away to deal with later as she exited the lift at the bridge. She'd start weapons work here, then when they were docked at Earth, she'd space walk out to work on the external systems. She went straight to the tactical station and got to work, not even a nod to Spock or snide comment to the Captain.

Everyone could feel the change in her mood, and even Kirk knew that this was not a day to mess with her. She finished in record time, detailing it in her log, and headed for the lift swiftly. A silent debate was had amongst the bridge crew, until Spock decided he would be the best candidate to see what was wrong with the Lieutenant. He stepped onto the lift just before the doors closed, and paused it as he had seen Kirk do many times. Aureya threw him a glare.

"Commander, if you wouldn't mind, I've had a stressful night and morning and no breakfast. I don't know as I'm up for a debate on logic at the moment." Her voice was harsh, very unlike what he was used to from her. She turned away again, but he had already seen the true emotion she was hiding; she was hurt. He floundered for a bit, before reaching out tentatively and patting her shoulder. She stiffened, unsure of why a Vulcan would want to console an illogically emotional human, especially through touch. She glanced up at him again.

"I am not sure why you are feeling hurt, but I would recommend you find a way to relax. Might I suggest a test of the phaser you were supposed to adjust last night?" She had completely forgotten about the weapon in her back and she pulled it out slowly, inspecting to make sure she'd finished last night. She had and it gave her a small amount of satisfaction.

"Thank you, Commander. Your suggestion has been noted and will be taken into consideration." He seemed to relax at her precise answer and turned the lift back on again.

"Carry on, Lieutenant." With that, he got off on the next stop. She ordered the lift down to the firing range, excited for something destructive to do. She grinned, but it wasn't a purely happy one.

McCoy sat in his office, worrying over what had happened with Aureya. He wondered if he should find her and try to explain himself, or if he should let her cool off first. He decided on the latter, and tried to focus on his work, but his thoughts constantly drifted back to her.

Spock returned to his station, ignoring everyone staring at him. He had decided not to tell them yet, while he thought over what had happened. He had attempted to comfort her in a human way and she had looked so shocked. Was it because he was Vulcan? He nodded to himself; that seemed a logical answer. She had seemed a bit happier when he had given the suggestion to test the phaser. He never understood humans and their penchant for violence, but he knew she'd feel better after. He just wondered what had made her so angry to begin with.


	7. Chapter Seven

I'm breaking in, shaping up, then checking out on the prison bus…

By the time she was done "testing" the phaser, they had reached Earth. Aureya had to admit, it was a great stress reliever, and she took the phaser to the head of security to approve. Leaving it with him, she went to engineering to wait until they were docked so she could start the big work. She sat next to Keenser, patting his head and sharing a snack with him. Most of the other engineers avoided Keenser, as nobody knew exactly what he was, but Aureya thought he was too adorable to avoid. Keenser appreciated the attention.

"Oi, lass, you're gonna spoil 'im!" Scotty called from above them. They looked up to see him getting readings from the warp core. She smiled playfully.

"Well, someone has to, Scotty!" She called back. Keenser gave a little laugh before going back to work. A little while later, they'd gotten docked, and Aureya set to work, starting with the engines. After an hour inside, she suited up and headed out, magnetic clamps and a tether keeping her from floating away. She spent four hours modifying the engines and another three working on the external sensors and phasers. She knew the real test would be whenever they left, and the weapons may be years until they're used. She was still satisfied, and went back inside quickly to enjoy a little bit of shore leave before they had to continue on. As she went to leave for the surface, she saw several new looking photon torpedoes being loaded onto the ship, with an angry Scotty arguing with Kirk.

"Scotty, what's going on?" She walked over, putting a hand on his shoulder. Kirk didn't even acknowledge her as he continued to argue with Scotty. She only picked up that it was something about those torpedoes. Scotty stalked off towards the shuttle bay and Aureya followed after him. "Scotty, come on, what's up?" Keenser joined them.

"Sorry, lass, but I have to be goin'. I'm leavin' ya in charge as Chief Engineer. Be kind to ma ship." He climbed into a shuttle with Keenser, leaving her shocked and feeling too many emotions to think through. The shuttle took off, and she headed to engineering, sitting heavily at her desk, trying to process what had just happened. She barely heard it as her communicator beeped.

"Lieutenant, did you finish the work on the engines?" It was Spock, presumably calling on behalf of Captain Kirk. She snapped out of her reverie.

"Yes, Commander. They should be working fine, as long as no one decided to look at them themselves." She heard his acknowledgement and closed her communicator. As she looked up, she saw a lot of lost and confused engineers. Sighing, she stood on her desk, getting their attention. "Mr. Scott will not be returning to the Enterprise." There were a few gasps at that, but she raised her hand for quiet. "He's left me as Chief Engineer, but I don't want anything to change. Continue with your duties just as if he and Keenser were still here, and don't ever be afraid to ask questions." One hand shot up in the air and she pointed at it.

"Lieutenant, why is Scotty gone?" There were murmurs of agreement and her voice hardened, getting louder so that everyone could hear her.

"Scotty was worried about whatever is in those torpedoes. He left because he didn't trust them." Her PADD pinged and she picked it up, reading. The entire staff waited quietly as she got angry again. If this is why Scotty left, she couldn't blame him at all. "Scotty left because the torpedoes onboard are prototypes, and we're not allowed to scan for what's inside." There was uproar, and she yelled over it. "And I don't blame him. However, we have to follow these orders. If we disobey them, we face a court-martial and dishonorable discharge." That quieted most of them, though there were still grumblings. "Let's just get back to our stations." They did as she asked, and she headed up to the bridge, prepared to have words with Kirk about this.

On the bridge, Spock, McCoy and Kirk all seemed to be talking quietly off to one side. It seemed to be getting heated, at least for Kirk. She caught the end as she stepped a bit closer.

"Captain, I cannot allow you to do this!" Spock's usually calm voice sounded a bit stressed and she was surprised.

"Jim, you're not actually going after this guy, are you?" McCoy sounded disbelieving and angry, and Aureya briefly wondered who they were going after. She glanced towards Chekov, trying to see where they were headed. She swallowed hard; Q'onoS, or Kronos as the humans spelled it. The Klingon homeworld. Whatever or whoever they were after, apparently it was worth possibly starting a war.

"I have no idea what I'm supposed to do! I only know what I can do." Kirk sounded so angry and broken that Aureya reconsidered her argument with him, instead moving closer to Sulu and Chekov as the small group broke apart. Spock and McCoy both looked at her as Kirk went to sit. She nodded to Spock and ignored McCoy, turning back to Sulu to explain what modifications she had done. He seemed relieved to at least know what was going on. As soon as she was finished, she nodded to the Commander and the Captain, and brushed past the Doctor on her way to the turbolift. She knew she couldn't tell anyone what their mission was, but it weighed on her all the same.

She entered the turbolift and didn't have to turn to notice someone enter with her. She ignored McCoy as he moved to stand next to her, giving the command for the medbay. She gave the command for engineering, and they stood in heavy silence for a little bit before McCoy paused the lift. Aureya glared at the controls, deciding she may have to disable that function next time she was in here. She reached out to resume the trip, but McCoy lightly smacked her hand away.

"Not so fast, Lieutenant, I think we have some things to discuss." He sounded professional, and it caused a slight burning pain in her chest. She kept her face as stoic as Spock's as she turned to McCoy.

"Can I help you with something, doctor? If it is the matter of your biobeds, I can have them looked at right away." She replied, knowing full well that wasn't it. He shook his head, looking away. He couldn't stand the fact that she looked like that green-blooded hobgoblin. Even her tone was too even, too neutral.

"I'd appreciate it if you acted more like yourself." He mumbled. She simply stared, thinking about how long of a run she was going to need after this conversation. "I wanted to talk about this morning. I just wanted to let you know_"

"I understand, and I assure you, it will not happen again, sir." She cut him off in that same too calm voice, making him angrier.

"That's not what I meant! Dammit, I'm trying to tell you that I…" He hesitated, not sure if he was doing the right thing. She watched, her face breaking into a wary look. "I like you, darlin'. Even when you're being a pain in the ass." She looked over his whole face, wanting to know if he was telling the truth. He looked sincere; a mixture of hope and dread. She let her guard down for a bit.

"McCoy_" This time, he cut her off.

"I told you, Leo or Leonard. Not McCoy." He said in a quiet voice. She swallowed and gave a quick nod.

"Leo, I know about the mission. I know where we're going, and what the chances are for survival." He looked shocked, and she took advantage of it, starting the lift again. "It wouldn't be fair to either of us to start anything when it could all be fueled by the idea that we probably won't live long enough to regret it." The lift opened at engineering first, surprisingly. "If, by some small chance, you mean what you say, save it until after the mission." She stepped off, leaving him in the lift going to the medbay. She went into Scotty's old office to figure out what to do with the knowledge she had of where the ship was headed. She looked out over her engineers, working and chattering, oblivious of what was going to happen, and she had to wonder if she shouldn't tell them. She decided against it, wanting them to at least have these moments to be happy. She picked up her PADD, sending a quick message to Kirk that she wanted to speak with him, before typing up her final words, hoping she wouldn't have to send them.


	8. Chapter Eight

We're painted red, to fit right in…

Aureya stood on the bridge in front of the captain's chair, watching the frequencies of the away team carefully. As their heart rates spiked, it was clear that they had either found the criminal known as John Harrison, or that they themselves had been discovered by a Klingon patrol. She nodded to Sulu, who maneuvered the ship into a distant orbit, with just enough room to beam the team aboard quickly and warp out. She chewed lightly on her thumbnail as she watched.

Down below, a battle with a large Klingon patrol had ensued, and the away team, consisting of Kirk, Spock, Uhura and an unknown red shirt security guard, knew that they weren't going to win this one. As the Klingons advanced, a few started dropping. Kirk looked around, seeing a man in all black with two weapons destroying the Klingon group. In no time, they were finished and he cast off his hood, showing the face of John Harrison himself. He seemed to consider the crew for a moment, giving Sulu time to maneuver in.

"Attention John Harrison. This is Captain Hikaru Sulu of the USS Enterprise." Everyone looked up towards the voice, surprised, as Kirk had left Aureya in charge. She sat in the captain's chair, giving Sulu a nod to continue. McCoy stood off behind her, wondering what she was doing. "A shuttle of highly trained officers is on its way to your location. If you do not surrender to them immediately, I will unleash the entire payload of advanced long-range torpedoes currently locked on your location." As Sulu continued, Aureya noticed a flashing light on her PADD. Checking it, she found that someone had sabotaged her brand new engine set up, leaving them without warp. She quietly called a science officer over, and had him scan to confirm. "You have two minutes to confirm your compliance. Refusal to do so will result in your obliteration." Sulu hesitated, looking back at Aureya. With a straight face, she gave him a single nod. "If you test me, you will fail." He cut the connection and ran a hand through his hair nervously.

"He'll comply, Sulu. Don't worry." Not long after, they received notice that John Harrison was coming aboard. "Lieutenant Aureya to the brig. Please have cell one ready with a level three force field for prisoner." They acknowledged and she stood to leave. "Mr. Chekov, you have the com." She stepped into the turbolift and headed for the transporter room to beam the away team onboard. It appeared she had caught them mid-argument. Something about whether or not the ship had truly fit. "Hello Captain. John Harrison is being brought about by shuttle and will be transported under armed guard to the brig. However, sir, it looks as if someone has sabotaged our engines. We're attempting to bring back warp capability, but it may take time." He nodded, moving past her to get into uniform and head to the bridge. Once they were all gone, she returned to engineering, attempting to find out who had sabotaged the warp drive.

An hour later, she had almost restored full warp when she got the order to take them to warp immediately. "Captain, I'm not sure that's a good idea. If we push it too hard, she'll break down for good. We'll only have impulse." She received the orders again, this time shouted and she stirred her team to action, realizing something was wrong. She got them to warp 8 and was informed that they were heading for Earth to bring the criminal in for his trial. Her curiosity getting the better of her, she went to the brig to learn about this man who had single-handedly caused Star Fleet so much pain.

Upon arriving, she was not disappointed. The man looked harmless enough: black hair, pale skin, sitting ramrod straight on the bed in the cell. As she stood in front of him, however, she could practically feel the power and confidence coming off of him. He studied her as she studied him, and they both stayed quiet for a while. She sat on the floor outside his cell.

"So you're the infamous John Harrison, huh?" She finally said, breaking the silence. If possible, his gaze got even more piercing.

"My name is Khan. John Harrison is a fiction." His voice was a deep baritone with the accent of an Englishman and she nodded, meeting his gaze with a surprising amount of confidence. He wondered what would possess such a small being to dare to look on him as if they were equals. Even in Kirk's cocky gaze, there was still a trace of fear. He looked her over, noting that she was an engineer. "To what do I owe this visit? If Kirk thinks that a young woman is going to sway me, he is sorely mistaken." She rolled her eyes.

"Kirk tends to be sorely mistaken when it comes to women. I came here of my own volition." She stood, making herself as tall as possible, almost looking commanding. "I came to see the man who nearly brought Star Fleet to its knees. Yet, all I see is one man who couldn't even escape." He shot to his feet, anger burning in his eyes. It caused her stomach to clench in fear, but she stood her ground, not wanting to be bullied by a prisoner.

"I'm more powerful than your entire precious Star Fleet." He growled, a noise so low she had to focus to hear it. "I could easily escape even now if I so chose." She snorted, flaring his anger. "And you would help me." The last part was more of a purr than a growl, and she wasn't about to fall for that.

"It would take a lot more than some nice words to convince me to let you out of here, Khan." She said his name with a sarcastic tone, knowing instinctively that she would regret goading him, but unable to help herself. His eyes showed nothing but cold fury now, and she smirked. "What's the matter? Not used to women saying no to you?" He punched the force field, hoping to get some response. She only gave a small jump, but didn't show any fear on her face. Her presence was getting to be maddening.

"Why don't you open the door and we'll see just who says no in the end? Will it be you towards my advances, or will it be me as you scream for death and mercy?" She glared, getting close enough that if the field wasn't there, he would feel her breath. Again, she surprised him with her audacity, and he wondered if there would be a way to convince her to his side once he was out of this cell.

"I don't scream." She replied, her own voice's power almost enough to match his. "And I don't beg for anything." They stared each other down, and it would have gone on like that, if the ship hadn't been violently thrown out of warp. She was tossed into a wall, and even he stumbled a bit. She got to her feet quickly, shoving the guard aside at the console, and for a few seconds, he actually thought she was going to release him.

"Son of a bitch!" She yelled, typing in commands. The engines had finally given way and it seems they had been knocked out of warp by a phaser shot. She looked up at Khan, glaring. "If anything happens to this ship, and we survive, I will kill you myself with my bare hands." She growled. A security detail came in at that moment and ordered the door be opened. The guard hesitated, so Aureya complied, and watched as they took Khan to who knows where. He turned for only a moment to smirk at her and then he was gone. She growled again, then rushed to the bridge, wanting to check on her systems from the station there.


	9. Chapter Nine

Aureya ended up running onto the bridge just in time to hear Admiral Marcus threaten the crew and the ship. Her heart dropped and she made her way to the engineering station and set to work frantically. Kirk turned to the crew.

"I'm sorry." Was all he said as he looked around. When his eyes met Uhura's, there was an unspoken order, and the channel was cut. Now Aureya could see what they were up against, and it didn't make her feel any better. The enemy ship was a giant version of the Enterprise, with black hull plating. As she set teams to fixing the engines as best they could, she proceeded to scan what little of the ship she could. It was powering up weapons and Aureya felt hopeless. Out of nowhere, the weapons on the other ship died and shields were dropped. Now, neither ship could attack or defend. Seeing her opportunity, she scanned and started moving power from unneeded sections towards the shields.

"I will go with you, Captain." Spock said, pulling Aureya out of her work to see Kirk and his first officer fighting again.

"No, I need you on the bridge." Kirk was trying to leave, but Spock moved to stop him. Aureya was wondering if he had had the same idea as her.

"I cannot allow you to do this. It is my function aboard the ship to advise you in making the wisest decision possible, something I firmly believe you are incapable of doing at this moment." Spock argued, giving what seemed to be the most logical answer.

"You're right! What I am about to do, it doesn't make sense, it's not logical, it is a gut feeling! I have no idea what I'm supposed to do. I only know what I can do. The Enterprise and her crew needs someone on that chair who knows what he's doing. That's not me. It's you Spock." Kirk said back, shocking everyone. Spock simply nodded and Kirk went off. Aureya continued her work, ordering everyone out of non-essential areas of the ship and draining the power. It took her quite awhile, but eventually she had enough to hold minimal shields and make one transporter trip. She got up, heading quickly for the lift. It didn't take her long to get to the transporter room, but it did take her more time than she would have liked to convince the transporter chief to leave the room to her. She had just been setting up the energy transfer when she heard the door open.

"I told you, Chief, I'm doing this myself and would rather not have you involved." The clearing of a throat made her turn around. Instead of the transporter chief, there was a rather upset looking McCoy.

"Aureya, you better be setting that up to bring them back." He said quietly. She shook her head, going back to her work.

"There's not enough power for more than one person." She hoped he understood what she meant and would leave and NOT tell Kirk about it. She knew she could really disable that ship, if she could just get over there.

"You can't! You'll be killed!" She continued to work, the power cells almost ready. He grabbed her, forcing her to turn and face him. He looked frightened and sad. "Aureya, look at me dammit! I can't let you go over there. It's bad enough that Kirk is going with that psychopath." His voice dropped to a quieter volume. "Please. You said, that after we survived the Kronos mission, we could talk. Well, we survived…" She held up a hand.

"But we're not out of the fire yet, Leo." She tapped a few commands, setting it to activate when she gave the order. "Besides, we survived Klingons. I'll be back in time to hear whatever it is you think you need to say, and then we can laugh about it over some fries." She pulled away, stepping onto the pad and giving a smart-ass salute. "Energize." And then she was on the other ship, in a cargo bay. She looked around to see Scotty being threatened by a big burly guy and could hear Spock's voice counting down through the communicator on the floor. She ran over, helping Scotty get rid of the guy and gripping the bar as he opened the airlock. She faintly heard two thunks, and reached up to smack the button to close the door. As Scotty and herself slammed to the floor, Kirk and Khan slid up next to them. After pleasantries, they all headed for the bridge.

"Listen, lass, I'm not very trustin' of that Khan fella. Somethin' about 'im is off. Keep a close eye on 'im, yeah?" She nodded at Scotty's order, moving somewhat closer to Khan so that she could act quickly. Kirk noticed, but ignored it; they had bigger worries. A small security detail jumped them, but they were no match for the group. Aureya reminded herself to thank Spock when this was over for her training. They finally made it to the bridge, and Admiral Marcus was surprised to see them. There was a quick argument, during which Kirk and Marcus got in each other's face, Khan was stunned by Scotty and Aureya moved to cover him with her own phaser.

Aureya tuned the others out as she looked down at the man lying beneath her. She supposed he was handsome, in the same way a diamond was beautiful: cold, clean cut, strong. He stirred and she got a bit worried. Moving a bit closer, she nudged him with her foot. He didn't move, which she was thankful for, but as she went to back away again, his hand shot out at an incredible speed, grabbing her ankle and bringing her down to the floor hard. She was dazed and breathless for a bit, but it was long enough for him to knock out Scotty and incapacitate Kirk. She sat up slowly, assessing what had happened, Khan now held a phaser to Kirk's head and was demanding the torpedoes, something about people being inside. She saw Spock and McCoy on the view screen and faintly heard the argument over the ringing in her head. She got up slowly, not wanting to alert Khan, and charged at him, slamming into him with all her weight and knocking him off balance. She freed the phaser from his loosened grip and threw it in a corner. They proceeded to tumble around until he eventually had her pinned a foot off the ground by her throat.

"Aureya!" McCoy yelled, worry and fear clear in his tone. Kirk and Spock both looked helpless as well.

"Well, Spock, feel free to take your captain, as was our deal. I expect my people transported to my ship in less than three minutes, or I kill the young engineer here," at this he tightened his grasp on her throat, "and then I destroy you all." Spock nodded and the communication was cut. He turned to Kirk with a smirk as he started to dematerialize. "Well, Kirk, it seems apt to return you to your crew. After all, no ship should go down without her Captain." He dropped Aureya, allowing her to breathe. She glared up at him as she gasped for air.

"You better hope to God that you are not a heavy sleeper, Khan." Her voice, while being hoarse, was still almost as chilling as his own. He looked over at her with interest. "Because, the minute I have my chance, I will not hesitate to end your sorry ass myself." She stood defiantly. He looked her over and she walked over and leaned down, getting close enough that their noses almost touched and she could see the different shades of blue and green in his eyes. He noticed no fear, no anger, just cold determination. For a moment, he wondered if she was another Augment woken to help Marcus. It would certainly explain a lot. "Watch yourself, or I'll bring it all raining down on top of you." She moved to stand back and before he could process what had just happened, she smirked and was transported off his ship. He pounded his fist on the chair angrily; he'd been too distracted to realize he'd left his shields down. He prepared to fire on the Enterprise.


	10. Chapter Ten

This is it, the apocalypse…

Aureya materialized onboard and once she was sure she was fully onboard, she dropped to her knees, coughing and wincing at the pain in her throat. She felt several hands helping her up, but she pushed away when they tried to get her on a stretcher.

"Aureya, come on, I've got to get you to medbay to get you taken care of." McCoy's soft southern drawl was a welcome sound when compared to Khan's cold, hard voice. "If you don't come willingly, I'll have to knock you out and bring you back that way." He threatened. She smirked as she stood on her own two feet, trying to step around him.

"My, you do have a way with the ladies." In a more serious tone. "I need to get to the bridge and make sure shields are up and the new weapon settings are working." He shook his head, letting her pass.

"Fine, but I'm coming with you. Can't have you over working yourself." They practically ran to the bridge, and she set to work, her fingers flying over the commands on the engineering console and her eyes dancing with equations and calculations. Even Spock was impressed with the speed at which she was working. Soon, shields were almost to 100% and the new weapon systems were online. Khan had yet to raise his own shields and Aureya proceeded to hack into his computer, dropping the oxygen level dangerously low in his bridge and sealing his doors. She disabled his weapons more permanently and set to draining his power.

"Lieutenant, may I ask what you are doing now?" Spock has moved over to her console, as had Chekov and Kirk, wanting to see what she was working so hard on. Ignoring him, she turned to the tactical officer.

"I'm sending coordinates now, aim and fire with 75% phaser power, you should disable his weapons." She sent the coordinates and watched as the Enterprise fired. There was an explosion on the larger ship. She smirked and continued to type away. "Lieutenant Uhura, hail Khan." Uhura nodded, prepping it and doing as she asked. Using the hack, she put it up on the screen for everyone. Khan looked shocked and a bit out of it. She continued to type as he started to try and kick her out of his computer. Kirk stepped forward.

"Surrender, Khan, or we'll destroy your ship and everyone on it." Kirk was referring to the fact that Khan believed he had his own people on board. Aureya knew better; she had scanned and not found the cryotubes. She knew they were still on the ship and so did Kirk. Khan seemed to consider what he said, before nodding. Aureya put in the necessary power to beam him into the brig and nodded to the captain when it was done. She cut the communication and backed out of the enemy ship's computer, finally relaxing against her seat. She closed her eyes, listening as McCoy scanned her with a tricorder.

"Alright, Leo, you can take me away now." She stood slowly, heading for the lift. He nodded, leading her. They arrived at the medbay and she lay on the bed while he scanned her and repaired the damage to her throat. They both stayed quiet through the interaction, very aware of Nurse Chapel practically staring at them. He nodded to her when she was done and she sat up. "Thanks, doc." She hopped off the bed and headed for the door. She knew he wanted to speak, but she also knew he wouldn't say anything with Chapel breathing down his neck. She headed to her room, changing into baggy sweats and a tank top, heading to the holodeck.

She took a deep breath, her eyes closed as she concentrated on her movements and the calm cool air around her. She hadn't done her tai chi in a while, and she could feel it as she worked. She was in a particularly complicated kata when she heard the door open. She ignored it and continued on, intent on finishing the one. There was no sound for a few minutes, and she forgot she even had a visitor as she moved her body around so that she fluidly came up on one leg. A throat was cleared nearby and she swung down quickly, planting both feet, and grabbing an arm, twisting it up behind them. She had just enough presence of mind not to hurt the person, which she was grateful for as she opened her eyes. She had managed to trap McCoy.

"Aureya, I love hugs as much as the next guy, but I don't think this is what people normally have in mind." He joked. She released him, a small embarrassed smile on her face. He chuckled, turning to face her. "I suppose I should have announced myself." He blushed. "Guess I got caught up watching. What were you doing?"

"Tai chi. It helps the bodies flexibility, strength, and control." She grinned sheepishly. "Sorry for attacking you, Leo." He waved her off. They sat together in the clearing while she explained tai chi to him. He seemed genuinely interested. They chatted mindlessly for a bit longer before McCoy started to show some nerves.

"Aureya, I was wondering…" he hesitated and she chuckled at his flustered expression. "Well, I was wonderin' if maybe you'd like to have dinner with me tomorrow? I'll take you out to a restaurant and everything." He sounded so hopeful, and she did think he was cute when he was like this. She nodded.

"Sure, Leo." She smiled. "That sounds like fun. What time?" He looked relieved and they set it up. "If you don't mind, I have to go back and shower and go to bed." They stood and walked out together. He walked her to her room, talking about simple things like music and food. As they stopped outside her door, both got sort of nervous. "Well, goodnight Leo. Guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, goodnight Aureya." She opened her door and stepped through. Once it was shut, she leaned against it, her head swirling as excitement built up in her chest. He actually asked her out on a date. She wanted to squeal, but she held back. Instead, she went right to bed, smiling even in her sleep. He sauntered back to his room, feeling happier than ever. It was a good night for both of them.

The next day, Aureya woke up late and caught the last shuttle to the surface. The entire crew had been given shore leave until the Enterprise was good as new. Landing at the Academy, she knew they would have quarters for her, but she would rather stay in a hotel off campus. After filing that info, she headed into the city. She found a pretty nice place to stay and got a suite, sending the location to Star Fleet command. They approved and she was in her room relaxing in no time. It was nice to have a real bed and some real food available. She quickly put her few belongings away before making the decision to go shopping for her date with McCoy later. Her heart thrilled as she left for the shopping district.

It only took her two hours, but she grabbed stuff for her date and a bit more as well. She had new workout clothes, a few new books to read, and a couple new pairs of shoes. Her chosen outfit for the night was an almost medieval looking top, with a flowy white shirt and a corset attachment for her stomach and waist; a pair of skinny pants in black, and a pair on flat black boots. She jumped into the shower as soon as she got home, taking her sweet time to make sure she was smelling good and was all clean. It took her all of ten minutes to get dressed, mainly due to the corset, and another 15 to figure out what to do with her hair. She coaxed it into waves and left it down to frame her face. She put on makeup in mainly neutral colors, wanting it to look somewhat natural. By the time she was finished, she had about 10 minutes before McCoy would pick her up. Sighing, she settled onto the couch with one of her new books and was soon immersed.

The sound of the door chime jolted her out of the fantasy story and she looked at the clock. He was right on time; she got up checking her hair and makeup before she answered the door. He stood there, in faded jeans and a dark button up; the top couple of buttons were undone and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. He looked her over in surprise, and she worried he wouldn't like it. He smiled then, dashing her fears, and pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind him. It was a colorful assortment and it smelled wonderful.

"Come on in, Leo." She took the flowers he offered and stepped off to the side to let him in. He looked around, giving a low whistle. She put the flowers in a vase, filling it with water.

"If I'd known engineers got such nice rooms, I might've reconsidered my major." He smirked and she rolled her eyes. As he stepped toward her, he said in a softer tone. "You look beautiful, darlin'." She blushed, just bright enough for him to see. "Should we go?" She nodded, taking his arm as they left. They headed down the street, towards the city center, neither talking but no one feeling the need to.

"So, where are we going Leo?" She asked, her curiosity getting the better of her. He chuckled and shook his head.

"That's a surprise. I'm just hoping you'll like it." They turned onto a side street and she couldn't help her excitement as she started to bounce a little. "Problem?" He asked jokingly.

"I'm just really excited, that's all. You're not the only one with a severe love of food, doll." She joked back. He blushed at the doll part and laughed.

"Well, I hope you like traditional southern cooking, 'cause that's what's on the menu tonight." Her eyes brightened, and he was happy that his choice was going over so well. They arrived at a small quiet restaurant. He opened the door for her and even hurried to pull out her chair. She chuckled.

"Trying to keep the idea of the southern gentleman alive, are we?" She joked. He laughed himself and she decided he looked much better as a happy man than as a gruff angry doctor. She couldn't help but laugh along. They enjoyed dinner and all too soon for either of them, he was walking her to her door. She hesitated outside of it, looking up at him shyly.

"Well, thank you for coming out." His voice was gruff, and he looked as shy as she felt. She gave a small smile.

"It was my pleasure, Leo." He practically glowed, happy he'd made her night fun. He leaned in slowly, giving her plenty of time to turn him down, but desperately hoping she wouldn't. She got a playful look in her eye, and placed her finger between their lips. "If you want a kiss, you'll have to take me out again." She joked, nervous that he wouldn't appreciate it. He chuckled, not yet pulling back.

"You can count on it, Aureya." His voice was low and combined with the drawl, it gave her goosebumps. She was suddenly quite breathless. "This definitely won't be a onetime fling, if I can help it." He kissed her cheek and pulled back, smirking as he turned to go. She fumbled her way into the suite and shut the door behind her, placing her hand lightly on her cheek where the kiss had been. She knew it wasn't going to be just once.


End file.
